What each system check should include
Water deserves the most patience. Run the shower long enough to judge drainage at the drain and water containment at the glass; fill and drain the tub if there is one; check under the vanity with a dry hand and a flashlight while everything runs. Slow drains, weeping connections, and glass that leaks at the hinge line are exactly the items that hide from a five-minute demo.
Surfaces get raking light. Sight across tile and paint from a low angle toward the windows: lippage, grout voids, and finish flaws appear in raking light that overhead light forgives. Check caulk lines at every plane change for continuity and tooling, because the joints are where water will eventually probe.
Function closes the list: every drawer and door through its full travel, the exhaust fan's airflow checked with the tissue test, every outlet and protection device test-buttoned, controls labeled where they are not obvious, and the documentation handover completed: care instructions, product materials, warranty terms, and the administrative records your jurisdiction produced.
